This first week of excavation couldn’t have been better. The weather was our best yet, and Tuesday (July 5th) was especially fantastic: the sea was mirror flat and the sun warm, but a mollifying, cool sea breeze kept the temperatures pleasantly comfortable. Best of all, the visibility at the site was amazing. The only complaint we had was the frigid water temperatures, especially down in the lower quadrants of the site, where a nasty thermocline has settled in. On Thursday, a pod of dolphins, in pursuit of a large school of sardines, made an appearance at the Bajo. We are hoping that it is a good omen!
The week also proved promising with regards to the finds. A fair amount of Phoenician material was raised, in addition to a large quantity of Roman and Punic pottery. Some of the more interesting objects include a large whetstone, two pan-balance weights, and a small and intact dipper jug, the first of its kind from the site. The weights are roughly cubic in shape and have a small crown device on their top face. They are made of a lead core that is sheathed in a thin skin of bronze.
Some of the early finds – the tip end of an elephant tusk, two pan-balance weights, and a whetstone (photo by S.H. Snowden).
Juan shows the dipper jug to Ernesto and Kiko, pointing out some of its features (photo by S.H. Snowden).